Lakers forward Pau Gasol is fouled by Oklahoma City Thunder center Nick Collison in the second half Tuesday night. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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The Lakers' Lamar Odom is double teamed by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka, left, and Russell Westbrook in the first half of Game 5 of the NBA basketball playoff game at Staples Center on Tuesday. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Actor Sylvester Stallone attended Game 5 of the NBA playoff series between the Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and forward Pau Gasol celebrate a basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Actor Sylvester Stallone attended Game 5 of the NBA playoff series between the Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Actor Leonardo DiCaprio attended Game 5 of the NBA basketball playoff game between the Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Laker fans cheer on their team during Game 5 of the NBA playoff series on Tuesday. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Actor Eddie Murphy attended the Game 5 of the NBA playoff between the Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

If he's right, then the idea that the Lakers summoned the will to put forth such a ferocious effort Tuesday night all on their own — with no help pushing off that wall — gives rise to hope that they might be championship material again this season. The Lakers steamrolled the Oklahoma City Thunder, 111-87, to take a 3-2 lead in this first-round series.

Game 6 is Friday night in Oklahoma City. Phil Jackson's Lakers teams have closed out series on their first tries in six of the past seven chances, including Game 5 of the 2009 NBA Finals in Orlando.

In NBA history, the team to win Game 5 of a best-of-7 series tied 2-2 has won 126 of 151 series (83.4 percent). The Lakers are 16-1 in series where they've won a tiebreaking Game 5 at home, with the lone exception coming in a 1969 NBA Finals loss to Boston.

The Lakers roared to a 10-0 lead Tuesday night, gave up a free throw to Russell Westbrook, and then got Pau Gasol to set up Andrew Bynum for a dunk and a 12-1 lead. The Lakers' lead amazingly never dropped to less than 11 points the rest of the game in a dramatic turnaround from Oklahoma City's 110-89 victory Saturday night.

Oklahoma City started out Game 5 missing its first 13 field-goal attempts before Kevin Durant dropped a jumper. The Lakers made a key adjustment with the bigger and faster Bryant defending Westbrook — and Derek Fisher moving off center stage to guard the limited Thabo Sefolosha, and it paid off in a big way. Bryant was locked in defensively from the start and even stripped Durant, Jeff Green and Westbrook of the ball on consecutive plays in the early going.

Bryant had 13 points — just one more than he had in Game 4 — but his demeanor was far more attack-oriented. He had seven assists, and the Lakers' passing game returned to splendor with Gasol (25 points) and Ron Artest (14 points) also adding five assists.

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